In this article:
In Georgia, surrogate motherhood, as well as egg/sperm donation, became legal in 1997, when the law “on healthcare of Georgia” included the Provision “on surrogate motherhood”.
Legislation
Due to the commercialization of surrogacy in 2014, the government planned to make some changes to the law that would prohibit paying for surrogate services.
The changes were not implemented, and commercial surrogacy is currently permitted by law in Georgia. Program features:
- democratic price,
- parental rights legally belong to the biological mother and father,
- documents for a child are issued quickly, this is an established process,
- the law allows services of surrogate mothers for foreigners,
- cooperation between a couple and surrogate mother in Georgia governs the contract,
- it is allowed to use surrogate mothers’ services exclusively for heterosexual couples, if there is a medical indication.
Georgian legislation does not impose restrictions on how many times a girl can become a surrogate mother.
The cost
The cost of participating in the surrogacy program for married couples in Georgia ranges from $ 25000 to $ 50000. The prices for services of surrogate mothers in Georgia are 2-3 times less than the cost of similar services in the USA and European countries.
To register a married couple as parents, the following documents are required:
- the contract,
- a certificate from the clinic, which confirms the performed IVF,
- a certificate from the maternity hospital about the birth of a child.
To register a married couple as legal parents of a baby, the consent of the surrogate mother is not required.
Countries where surrogacy is legalized
Ukraine is one of the few countries where most of the existing fertility treatments are legally practiced.
Advantages:
- Ukraine is one of the few countries where most of the existing methods of infertility treatment are legally practiced;
- a large selection of centers that oversee the program from start to finish, provide comprehensive support, and have their own databases of surrogates and germ cell donors;
- the relationship between a surrogate mother and a infertile couple is regulated by a contract;
- the ability to combine different methods of reproductive medicine;
- high level of medicine, legal regulation of the work of centers that provide services in the field of infertility treatment;
- affordable prices;
- strict requirements for candidates at the selection stage in the database of surrogates;
- the parents of the newborn are the biological father and mother.
One of the disadvantages is that surrogacy services are not available for gay couples.
Surrogacy program “Care”
Embryo transfer with own frozen embryos (FET) + surrogate mother
43 000 €
Surrogacy program “Victory”
IVF with own eggs + surrogate mother
46 000 €
Surrogate program “Success”
IVF with donor eggs + surrogate mother
47 000 €
Surrogacy program “Guarantee”
IVF using donor eggs + surrogate mother
57 000 €
Programs Comparison
In 2002, surrogacy was legalized in Greece as a method of infertility treatment.
Advantages:
- Democratic price;
- married couples and couples who are not married and single women, have the right to ask a surrogate mother for help;
- parental rights initially belong to the genetic mother and father by law;
- between surrogate mother and a couple of clients make a contract.
Disadvantages:
- A couple cannot choose the gender of their child;
- friends and relatives are not allowed to be egg/sperm donors;
- programs are not available for gay couples.
Surrogacy services are available only to couples in which a woman is medically unable to bear and give birth to a child on her own.
Belarus
Surrogacy was legalized in Belarus in 2012.
Advantages:
- Strict selection of candidates for the role of surrogate;
- parental rights originally belong to the genetic parents;
- a couple of customers and a surrogate mother sign a cooperation agreement;
- surrogate mother has the right to be a relative of the spouses.
Disadvantages:
- The surrogate mother can’t become a an egg donor;
- in case of violation of the terms of the contract, the surrogate mother pays a fine.
